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goosetime

Might Stick Around
Jul 23, 2019
54
236
Kansas City, MO
Pared down my collection a bit, getting rid of a Nording, a Peterson, and a long-stemmed Italian. Now every one of my guys is a winner!

collection.jpg-2 Missouri Meerschams
-Gepetto Bent Rhodesian
-Castello KK Sea Rock
-Molina Freehand/Horn
-Caminetto "Super Moustache" Bent Egg
-Nording Ace Horn

I'm trying to have only one of each maker, so I traded in my lesser Nording and kept the horn. I'm tempted to pick up another Peterson to replace the one I traded in, but I'm a little wary. A lot of the Petersons I've seen in person are drilled poorly. There is one with a good-looking draw, an Aran Rusticated bent billiard, that I have asked to put on hold.

I may yet pick up a Dunhill, probably a shell briar. I also have been thinking of a Meerscham, but I really love to be able to take my pipes wherever I like, regardless of temperature. I suppose I use my cobs as "durable" Meerscham replacements :ROFLMAO:
 

goosetime

Might Stick Around
Jul 23, 2019
54
236
Kansas City, MO
You may be surprised by the durability of meerschaum. I take mine wherever I go, work, hiking, driving, moving the yard, etc.
Hmm.. interesting. I have my eye on a few Meerschams I like quite a bit! I also wonder about the gourd calabash ones.. do those smoke well? They are gorgeous I think but also a little large.

If you light it inside and take it outside into sub-freezing weather, will it crack?
 

OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
5,756
30,560
71
Sydney, Australia
I also wonder about the gourd calabash ones.. do those smoke well? They are gorgeous I think but also a little large.
I have one which I smoke occasionally. I find it a bit large and cumbersome compared with the usual briar. But not any more so than churchwardens or a @Chasing Embers' meerschaum pipe.

They do come in various sizes, but the usual bowl is a smallish size 3. What I like is they give a cool, dry smoke. I like using it with stronger (nicotine) blends. I find the "air mixture" tends to tone down the nic hit.

Nice if you feel like smoking something with a different character.
 
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warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,205
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
to take my pipes wherever I like, regardless of temperature.
Meerschaums are fairly hardy. I would not smoke "ornate" (those carved with fragile appendages, wings, horns and such,) meers outside other than on my deck. But, the threat to damage isn't really higher outside than in when considering hard surfaces inside or out. The trick is to keep control of your smoking tools and not abuse them.

With regard to weather extremes, I've heard such tales. I've never spoken to anyone who actually experienced such. It's always, "I heard" tales. I take my meers from inside to out into below zero temps all the time in winter, never experienced such a catastrophe. All clap-trap as far as I'm concerned. If the meer had an unseen hairline crack, maybe a problem. No more than a briar in that condition I suppose though. If there is a freeze of moisture in such a crack well, I'd expect increased damage.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I just traded in three pipes with SP for one I wanted, which is paring down by two pipes. I just wasn't smoking those three. SP has a 5% extra on store credit or cash this month.
 
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